Gaining a sizable Instagram following takes a consistent supply of interesting posts. But if you don’t schedule your posts properly, none of your followers will see them.
But when should you publish on Instagram to maximise the number of people who view your updates? When is the optimum time of day to post on social media to maximise engagement?
You won’t have to give this much consideration, I promise. Read on to learn when it’s best to post on Instagram in general, and when it’s best to publish on your brand’s account specifically, so that you can reach your audience while they’re using Instagram.Is there a prime time for Instagram posts?
The quick answer is yes. It’s not as easy as a yes or no, though, as you probably suspected.
Let me elaborate.
Like asking how much Instagram Ads cost, the question “When is the best time to post on Instagram?” is a bit of a red herring. There are a lot of things to think about before you can provide a reasonable answer. And even then, it’s still not a cut-and-dry solution.
When is the optimum time to make an Instagram post?
- Calendar days
- Calendar month
- Seasonal patterns
- Audience members’ motivations
- Your posts’ intended outcomes
- Content type (either standard feed, Story, IGTV, Live, or Reels)
- Your company’s specialisation or field
The Instagram algorithm’s signalling mechanisms (ugh… I’d rather not go there).
Your brand, like all others, has a certain demographic that it aims to please, and that demographic has particular tastes and habits when it comes to using social media. Your “golden” Instagram posting time may not be optimal for other businesses.
However, if you want to increase the number of people who see your material, there are certain guidelines you may follow.
When should you, generally speaking, make your Instagram posts?
Hootsuite looked at over 30,000 corporate Instagram posts and found some interesting trends. In addition, they analysed data from internal social media team trials involving 200k followers to determine the typical optimal time to publish on Instagram:
They found that Instagram users were most active throughout the middle of the day on weekdays. Taking a break from work or school to go through Instagram makes perfect sense.
during the other side, participation tends to dip during weekends. That’s probably because people would prefer spend their time engaging in real life on the weekend than staring at their phones all day.
Monday
Monday at noon is the sweet spot for Instagram posts. Most of your followers are probably taking a break from work and eating lunch right now, making it an ideal opportunity for them to check in on Instagram. They’re primarily interested in hearing what their friends, favourite influencers, and favourite companies have been up to, so provide them with easily consumable material.
Tuesday
Tuesday morning at 9:00 is the sweet spot for Instagram posts. On Tuesdays, the best time to publish is in the early morning, specifically between 8 and 10 AM.
Wednesday
On Wednesdays at 11 a.m., your Instagram posts will have the most engagement. You may plan major announcements like product launches, promotions, brand announcements, etc. for this day because it also has the maximum engagement.
Thursday
On Thursdays at noon, Instagram posts do best. Actually, interaction is stable between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. (GMT) on Thursdays, so consider publishing Instagram Stories with interaction magnets like polls, quizzes, and questions at that time.
Friday
Friday around 2:00 PM is the sweet spot for Instagram posts. However, participation is constant from 7:00 AM till 2:00 PM. With so much time to work with, you may share things like IGTV videos and Instagram live streams.
Saturday
Instagram posts are most successful when published at 9:00 AM on Saturdays. Weekends are often less active, but most individuals don’t get started with their offline weekend activities until after 9:00 AM on Saturday.
Sunday
Participation is significantly lower on Sundays than on any other day of the week, including Saturday. However, if you publish between 12 and 8 p.m., you will see some activity. This event’s peak time is 7:00 PM.
When to post on Instagram for maximum engagement: some helpful hints
Examine the most popular of your content
You may learn when is best for you to post to Instagram by looking at your most successful posts and noticing what time of day you published them.
To do this, first settle on the results you expect from your brand. Do you seek to raise consciousness or stimulate action?
The success of your articles in spreading the word about your business may be gauged by looking at how many times they were seen. But if you want to increase interaction, highlight your most popular pieces.
Identify peak times for your target audience to be online.
You could also check your Instagram statistics to see when times of day your audience is most active.
To be successful on Instagram (or any other network), you need to understand your target demographic. It’s possible that your target audience’s social media habits are vastly different from, say, those of early-rising bodybuilders.
Keep an eye on when your rivals are publishing new material
Following an audit of your content, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on any company profiles or accounts that are creating material with a similar tone or intended audience. Your rivals are the ones listed above.
Competitors in your field may have already figured out the peak posting hours on Instagram. You can keep up with the best times to publish for your audience on social media by engaging in social listening or even a full social media competitive analysis.